It has been mostly cloudy in central Oklahoma this week with just a little rain. Tomorrow it will be hot and sunny and feeling like summer again. Summer also brings the bugs and the chiggers, mosquitoes, and ticks are eating me up already. The humidity is also causing some powdery mildew issues in the garden. I got a new tree this week, a 4 in 1 plum. We took it to the farm to plant on Saturday along with the three shade plants I got last week. I saw a lot of mushrooms this week since it did rain a little. I love learning about the wild mushrooms but don’t eat them. There were many flowers to see as well. The zinnias, impatiens, dahlias, and black eyed susans are blooming now. The butterflies and bees are starting to come out. I saw a new type of butterfly called a little wood satyr. I saw some beetles and spiders this week. I saw a rabid wolf spider in the bulb garden. There was a blister beetle near the rabid wolf spider. I also met a very cute Northern Mockingbird fledging at the farm. It let me approach it very close. The mom was nearby watching me as I approached the baby bird. The walnut tree has been defoliated by walnut caterpillars. We’re researching some solutions for this issue. I cooked some fish pakora using the recipe from Swasthi’s Kitchen. It turned out well and tasted good. I did some drawing for art class this week and I am going to draw a five lined skink next week for my sister.
Lisa Ledbetter 